Touch interfaces are becoming commonplace in everything from mobile data processing systems to large display touch screen interfaces. A movement away from blackboards, whiteboards and drawing boards to large data processing system touch screen displays is underway. In fact, many schools of the future may incorporate large touch screen display interfaces for instructing students.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,880 (“Method and apparatus for providing contextual navigation to historical data”, Johnson) provides automatic focusing of a window which contains a user specified search criteria at some time in history, however objects are not summoned to the user's most convenient input location in the user interface such as the display location where a gesture is entered for object search criteria. The present disclosure is needed for bringing user interface objects to a user (in particular for very large displays), rather than forcing a user to physically navigate to a user interface object in order to interface with it. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,633 (“Method and apparatus for surfacing an object based on forthcoming criteria”, Johnson) provides automatic surfacing of a user interface object which will contain a user specified search criteria at some time in the future, however objects are not summoned to the user's most convenient input location in the user interface such as the display location where a gesture is entered for object search criteria.
Perceptive Pixel's “Multi-touch Collaboration Wall” embodies a large pressure sensitive display with advanced multi-touch interfaces across a variety of industries. Outstanding display performance characteristics and display driver interfaces supporting data processing system software enables many different applications for use. Such displays can be manufactured quite large depending on the customers or applications. New methods are required for navigating large touch screen interfaces, in particular when a user may have to walk, or physically move, to different positions to interact with sought user interface objects. Art involved in such displays includes publications 20100302210 (“Touch Sensing”, Han et al), 20100177060 (“Touch-Sensitive Display”, Han), 20090256857 (“Methods Of Interfacing With Multi-Input Devices And Multi-Input Display Systems Employing Interfacing Techniques”, Davidson et al), 20080180404 (“Methods Of Interfacing With Multi-Point Input Devices And Multi-Point Input Systems Employing Interfacing Techniques”, Han et al), 20080029691 (“Multi-Touch Sensing Display Through Frustrated Total Internal Reflection”, Han), and 20060086896 (“Multi-touch sensing light emitting diode display and method for using the same”, Han). U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,949 (“Multi-touch sensing light emitting diode display and method for using the same”, Han) is also relevant.
Fingerworks was a gesture recognition company innovating multi-touch products. Fingerworks was acquired by Apple Inc. Art involved includes publications 20060238521/20060238522 (“Identifying Contacts On A Touch Surface”, Westerman et al), 20060238520 (“User Interface Gestures”, Westerman et al) and 20060238518 (“Touch Surface”, Westerman et al). Relevant patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,705,830 (“System and method for packing multitouch gestures onto a hand”, Westerman et al), 7,656,394 (“User interface gestures”, Westerman et al), 7,764,274 (“Capacitive sensing arrangement”, Westerman et al), 7,782,307 (“Maintaining activity after contact liftoff or touchdown”, Westerman et al), 7,619,618 (“Identifying contacts on a touch surface”, Westerman et al) and 7,339,580/6,888,536/6,323,846 (“Method and apparatus for integrating manual input”, Westerman et al).
Other touch screen and gesture related art includes publication 20050210419 (“Gesture control system”, Kela et al), and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,840,912 (“Multi-touch gesture dictionary”, Elias et al), 7,728,821 (“Touch detecting interactive display”, Hillis et al), and 5,644,628 (“telecommunications terminal interface for control by predetermined gestures”, Schwarzer et al).
Handwriting recognition was made popular on tablet/notebook computers as well as some personal Digital Assistance (PDA) devices through recognition of stylus strokes on a pressure sensitive detection surface. Relevant art includes publications 20050219226 (“Apparatus and method for handwriting recognition”, Liu et al), 20030195976 (“Method and system for creating and sending handwritten or handdrawn messages”, Shiigi), and 20030063067 (“Real-time handwritten communication system”, Chuang). Relevant patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,587,087 (“On-line handwriting recognition”, Nurmi), 7,580,029 (“Apparatus and method for handwriting recognition”, Liu et al) and 6,731,803 (“Points based handwriting recognition system”, Aharonson et al). Finger driven interfaces, such as those above disclosed by Westerman et al incorporate similar methods for handwriting recognition with touch surface gestures.
Synaptics Inc. has also been involved in touch interface technology. Art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,414,671, 6,380,931, 6,028,271, 5,880,411 and 5,543,591 (“Object position detector with edge motion feature and gesture recognition”, Gillespie et al).
Those skilled in the art recognize that users can use advanced touch gestures at any display location to interface with the associated data processing system(s), and there are a variety of hardware and software configurations enabling gestures to drive a user interface. In a small touch display it may be desirable to quickly find, or focus, a user interface object which is hidden or overlaid by other objects. In a large touch display interface, it may be desirable to find user interface objects without physically moving to them to access or find them, in particular when the physical display is considerably large.
“BumpTop” is a desktop environment that simulates the normal behavior and physical properties of a real world desk. Physics is applied to various gestures for bumping and tossing objects for realistic behavior, and automatic tools enhance selecting and organizing things. BumpTop was initially targeted for stylus interaction, however multi-touch gestures have been incorporated. The BumpTop company was acquired by Google. “Real Desktop” is also a product for bringing more of a desktop reality to the traditional two dimensional computer interface desktop. It turns your desktop into a “room”, and you organize your files, folders and desktop shortcuts as tiles in that room. You can drag-and-drop those tiles, or throw them into each other and watch as they bounce around. The real world metaphor implementations can cause burying documents and information just like a disorganized desk in the real world. Methods for improving the usability of some disorganized users may be needed.